Mom was so furious she slapped me on the spot. Dominic threw my birthday cake into the trash and said, "You're disgusting."

"The bond can feel that your wolf is still healthy!" Mom slapped me again, her voice shaking with rage.

"You killed your father, and now you're trying to fake being sick for our attention. How selfish!"

From that moment on, they all saw me as a lying bitch. I tried to explain, but they wouldn't believe me. I didn't understand why their bond sensed my wolf as healthy either, not until later when Chloe showed off a red pill with smug satisfaction.

"I bought this from a witch for a high price. It creates false bond readings!"

I pulled myself from the memory and dragged my heavy body up from the floor. Dominic suddenly walked in.

"Let's go. We're getting dinner. Don't pull that fake illness stunt for views again."

He spotted the blood on the floor and stopped mid-sentence, his brows furrowing. "Stasia, can you stop pretending? You're just making us hate you more."

I lifted my head and met his deep blue eyes, now filled with disappointment.

We grew up together as childhood sweethearts, went to college together, and started working together. After Dad died and Mom and Julian turned on me, Dominic held me close and said, "It doesn't matter if your mom and brother don't like you. I'll like you. I'll love you and cherish you.

"And that bully Chloe? I'll make her pay for it someday!"

But somewhere along the way, our dates started including Chloe too. He said Chloe was like my little sister, so we should take care of her together. Our dates became outings for three.

Then, whenever Chloe and I argued, he went from defending me to lecturing me that Chloe was young and I should be the bigger person as her older sister. The Dominic who promised to spoil and love me no matter what had slipped away without me noticing.

"Dominic, let's break up," I said calmly, wiping the blood from my lips.

Something flickered in his eyes. He rushed over and grabbed my shoulders.

"Is this because I interrupted your live stream today? Stasia, can't you be a little kinder? You're so lucky!

"You have a brother, you have me, and your family is wealthy. But Chloe is just a poor little girl your family adopted."

I laughed bitterly. Me, lucky?

My brother hated me. My boyfriend no longer cared about me alone. Even when I told Mom I was sick, she didn't believe me.

Was this what happiness looked like?

"I still want to break up."

The pain in my stomach grew more intense. Last week, Joseph told me I only had a week left to live. The strong painkillers he prescribed could only dull the pain enough to make me look normal.

I spent this week live-streaming and earning tips to afford a decent funeral. I wanted to leave this world with dignity. It would be my final gift to myself.

"Fine. If that's what you want, then we're done." Dominic stormed out.

At least Dominic and I weren't fated mates. Our breakup was simple, without the physical agony that came from rejection.

A moment later, I received an anonymous message from Chloe.

"How are you feeling today?

"Haha! How does it feel knowing your precious fiance won't defend you anymore?"

I didn't reply. I just took a screenshot of our conversation. My photo album was already full of our chat logs. I hoped that one day, everyone would see the truth.

…

I cleaned myself up and went to my other home, the place I always retreated to when I felt down. My six-year-old adopted sister, Emma Miller, lived there.

She'd been abandoned by her family at an amusement park, and I saw myself in her. That was why I adopted her and made her my little sister.

"Stasia, you're here! I got a perfect score in the shooting competition at school!" She threw herself into my arms the moment I opened the door.

I ruffled her hair.

"You're so smart. How about I take you out for a nice meal?"

She didn't know I had Wolf Soul Deterioration. I didn't want her to know either. Telling people would only make everyone miserable.

"Yes! Let's go to the pizza place!"

"Okay."

Whenever I rewarded her, we went to the pizza place. But I would never take her to a fried chicken restaurant. I wouldn't eat there. I would never eat fried chicken again for the rest of my life.

After we arrived, I ordered our food. Not long after, Julian and Chloe suddenly walked in. Chloe spotted me and covered her mouth in exaggerated surprise.

"Oh, my God! Stasia, you have a child?"

I wanted to sew her mouth shut. She was so vicious.

Julian walked over, his voice sharp. "Whose kid is this?"

"Hello, I'm Emma Miller, Stasia's adopted sister," Emma answered politely.

They fell silent. But Julian quickly found his voice again to mock me. "You said you were sick on your live stream, but here you are eating pizza.

"Stasia, you don't even blink when you lie anymore."

He left with Chloe after that.

Halfway through our meal, my stomach seized with sudden pain, and I coughed up fresh blood.

"Stasia! What's wrong?" Emma cried out and grabbed onto me.

The pain made my head spin.

"I… I'm fine," I forced out.

Just then, I saw Julian rushing over to check on me.

How ridiculous. Didn't he think I was faking? Why was he suddenly concerned?

When I woke up again, I was in the hospital. The moment I opened my eyes, another heavy slap landed on my face.

I opened my eyes to find Julian glaring at me furiously.

"Are you done with your act? You knew Chloe and I were going to the pizza place, so you deliberately coughed up blood and fainted in front of us, didn't you?"

"Don't hit my sister!" Emma rushed over and shoved him away.

"Emma, come here," I called softly.

Emma obediently took my hand. Then, I looked up at this brother who shared my blood. My face burned where he'd struck me, and my heart felt shattered.

I'd been rushed to the hospital, yet no one told him about my condition? He was a healer himself. If he bothered to examine me properly, or if he simply unblocked our bond right now, he'd see how sick I really was.

But he didn't.

"Get out," I said quietly.

He ground his teeth in anger. "Stasia, you've really gone too far this time!"

He raised his hand to strike me again.

"Jules," I called him by his nickname.

He froze. I hadn't called him that in so long, not since I realized Chloe had stolen everyone's love. This was the first time in ages I'd called him by his nickname, and it would be the last.

"Let's cut ties. In your eyes, I'm a criminal and a liar. So I don't want to upset you anymore."

I never thought we'd come to this. After all, he used to treasure me above everything else. Everyone knew the Everhart family had a hot-tempered son who was impossibly gentle with his little sister.

He really was good to me once. When I had a fever, he stayed up all night taking care of me. Whatever I wanted to eat, he'd buy it for me. Once on my birthday, I mentioned wanting to go skiing in Swossland, and he chartered a plane that same night to take me there.

He used to always tell me, "Stasia, I'll protect you for the rest of your life."

Then, Dad died, and everything changed.

"Say that again!" Julian's fists clenched in fury.

"I said, let's cut ties. From now on, you're not my brother, and I'm not your sister."

"Fine. Those are your words." He stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

Just then, a young man in a white coat walked in. I glanced at his name tag. He was a healer intern named Liam Foster.

He came over and adjusted my IV drip to a slower rate.

"This should make you feel better," he said.

"Thank you," I replied.

Then, I looked at Emma beside me. Her eyes were red, and her face was full of worry.

"Stasia, are you really sick?"

Tears spilled from my eyes beyond my control. "I'm fine. Can you go home first? I'll be back soon, okay?"

She was always obedient. She nodded and left with her backpack.

After she left, Liam let out a sigh.

"Your condition isn't good. You need to stay in the hospital, or you could die in the street at any moment."

"Then I'll stay," I said.

I didn't want to die in the street. That would be too pathetic.

That evening, Dominic came to see me. He carried a bag of my favorite fruits and my favorite strawberry cake.

"The healer said you just fainted from malnutrition. Come home. Stop fighting with your brother."

I'd told Liam not to reveal my condition to anyone without my permission, so he hadn't told Dominic either. I used to desperately want them to know about my illness, but now I didn't want them finding out so soon.

"Dominic, we've already broken up. You have no right to interfere in my life. And what does my relationship with my brother have to do with you?"

His expression darkened. "Stasia, everyone's been so good to you. Why do you have to be so difficult?"

Good to me? How ironic. Being good to me apparently meant trusting Chloe's every word while ignoring mine completely.

"Can you leave?" I held back the urge to pour out my grievances.

"The sight of you makes me sick."

Looking at him reminded me of how deeply he used to love me and how much he ignored me now. If he'd never loved and cherished me so deeply before, I wouldn't feel such bitter resentment toward him now.

The moment I finished speaking, Julian suddenly burst in.

"Stasia, you've really gone too far this time!" He charged over, shouting, and slapped me again.

This time the force was brutal. My ears rang.

Julian never used to hit me. He wouldn't even raise his voice at me. But somewhere along the way, his temper had turned violent, and he started putting his hands on me.

"We already gave you a way out, but you're still throwing a tantrum.

"Fine. You don't want me as your brother? I don't want you as the sister who killed Dad either!"

Dominic sighed in disappointment and left. The people who once treated me so well kept leaving, one by one. Tears blurred my vision.

I told myself it didn't matter. I didn't want them anymore either.

The next day, Julian came again. He carried a bag from the fried chicken restaurant. My face went deathly pale when I saw the logo.

"Get out! I'm not eating that!" I said.

But he answered, "Today's the anniversary of Dad's death. You used to love eating fried chicken on this day, didn't you? Today, you can eat your fill."

Then, he rushed over and started shoving the food into my mouth. Suddenly, I coughed up fresh blood.

The monitor beside me flatlined. My vision began to blur.